Pet ownership and care is one of the many joys that can be had throughout our lives. Pets not only provide a mutual companionship but also loyalty and security for their owners. Having a pet has many benefits on the owner's wellbeing. Pets can decrease depression, stress, and anxiety, lower blood pressure, improve the immune system, and decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke. Pets demonstrate a vast amount of intellectual capacity, having the ability to recognize emotions, adapt, work, and show obedience. Despite this, pets will sometimes wander away or become misplaced by the owner and then cannot find their way home.
Currently pets are equipped with identification electronic tags or collars but with the passage of time, the collars may slip off and the writing may become ineligible. The installation of implantable microchips into pets is another popular method for improving the recovery of lost pets. If the pet becomes lost, the pet may then be taken to a vet clinic or animal shelter, where the pet will be scanned using RFID technology to transmit a unique ID number associated with the owner's contact information on file. Pets with microchips have been shown to have a greater chance of reuniting with their owners than the pets without the microchip. However, there are problems with this method. Not all scanners and microchips operate on the same frequency, leaving the scanner unable to identify the unique ID number. Universal scanners have been introduced but there are still scanners out there with this problem. Microchip implanting has also led to complications with the pet, including hemorrhaging, tumors, and the microchip moving inside of the body causing infections and abscesses.
Another method of identification is the use of pet collars with an integrated audio playback system, which may be activated by person who finds a lost pet. The audio message is a recorded customized message available for playback that can be selectively recorded by users so that playback could help another person ascertain identification information concerning the animal. These devices though are very complex, lack durability, and may cause gastro-intestinal damage to a dog, cat, or other companion animal, if accidentally consumed.